U.S. patent number 5,757,595 [Application Number 08/826,826] was granted by the patent office on 1998-05-26 for apparatus for displaying battery charging of electric vehicle.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha. Invention is credited to Shinobu Ochiai, Naoki Osawa, Akira Ozawa, Iwao Shimane, Toshiyuki Watanabe.
United States Patent |
5,757,595 |
Ozawa , et al. |
May 26, 1998 |
Apparatus for displaying battery charging of electric vehicle
Abstract
An apparatus for displaying the charging of the battery of an
electric vehicle has a charging connector mounted on an outer panel
of a vehicle body of the electric vehicle, a lid openably mounted
on the panel in covering relation to the charging connector and a
cavity defined in the outer panel, and a display panel disposed in
the cavity for displaying a period of time required until the
battery is fully charged and/or a charged capacity of the battery.
The driver of the electric vehicle can easily recognize the
remaining time required until the battery is fully charged and a
percentage of the fully charged capacity of the battery to which
the battery is presently charged, from outside of the electric
vehicle. The driver is not required to confirm the state of charge
of the battery with an indicator on a battery charger or within the
passenger's compartment of the electric vehicle, but can easily
confirm the state of charge of the battery from outside of the
electric vehicle.
Inventors: |
Ozawa; Akira (Wako,
JP), Watanabe; Toshiyuki (Wako, JP),
Shimane; Iwao (Wako, JP), Osawa; Naoki (Wako,
JP), Ochiai; Shinobu (Wako, JP) |
Assignee: |
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki
Kaisha (Tokyo, JP)
|
Family
ID: |
13948224 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/826,826 |
Filed: |
April 8, 1997 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 10, 1996 [JP] |
|
|
8-088633 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
340/636.1;
340/455; 429/91; 320/104; 320/106 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60L
53/16 (20190201); B60L 58/26 (20190201); B60L
58/27 (20190201); B60K 15/05 (20130101); B60L
58/12 (20190201); B60L 2240/80 (20130101); B60L
2250/16 (20130101); Y02T 10/705 (20130101); B60L
2250/12 (20130101); Y02T 10/7005 (20130101); Y02T
10/70 (20130101); Y02T 10/7072 (20130101); Y02T
90/14 (20130101); B60L 2240/545 (20130101); B60Y
2400/92 (20130101); B60L 2260/58 (20130101); Y02T
10/7044 (20130101); B60L 2240/547 (20130101); B60L
2240/549 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60L
11/18 (20060101); G08B 021/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;340/636,455,693 ;320/48
;429/90-93 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4-334907 |
|
Nov 1992 |
|
JP |
|
7-087607A |
|
Mar 1995 |
|
JP |
|
Primary Examiner: Mullen, Jr.; Thomas J.
Assistant Examiner: Wu; Daniel J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Armstrong, Westerman, Hattori,
McLeland & Naughton
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus for displaying a charging state of a battery of an
electric vehicle, comprising:
a charging connector mounted in a cavity in an outer panel of a
vehicle body of said electric vehicle;
a lid openably mounted on said outer panel of said electric vehicle
in covering relation to said charging connector and said cavity
defined in said outer panel;
display means, disposed in said cavity, for selectively displaying
at least one of said charging states of a period of time required
until said battery is fully charged and a charged capacity of said
battery;
selecting means for selecting a display mode of said display means;
and
wherein said display means further comprises:
means for selectively displaying at least one of said charging
states of said period of time required until said battery is fully
charged and said charged capacity of said battery based on a
display mode selected by said selecting means, wherein said charged
capacity of said battery is displayed as a remaining capacity in a
digital percentage representation;
remaining capacity display unit enerzizable when said remaining
capacity of said battery is displayed as a digital percentage;
and
remaining time display unit energizable when said period of time
required until said battery is fully charged is displayed.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display means
includes conditioning mode state display means for displaying a
conditioning mode to selectively at least one of heat and cool said
battery.
3. An apparatus for displaying a charging state of said battery of
an electric vehicle, comprising:
a charging connector mounted in a cavity in an outer panel of a
vehicle body of said electric vehicle;
display means, mounted in said cavity in said outer panel near said
charging connector, for selectively displaying at least one of said
charging states of a period of time required until said battery is
fully charged and a charged capacity of said battery;
selecting means for selecting a display mode of said display means;
and
wherein said display means further comprises:
means for selectively displaying at least one of said charging
states of said period of time required until said battery is fully
charged and said charged capacity of said battery based on a
display mode selected by said selecting means wherein said charged
capacity of said battery is displayed as a remaining capacity in a
digital percentage representation;
remaining capacity display unit energizable when said remaining
capacity of said battery is displayed as a digital percentage;
and
remaining time display unit energizable when said period of time
required until said battery is fully charged is displayed.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said display means
includes conditioning mode state display means for displaying a
conditioning mode to selectively at least one of heat and cool said
battery.
5. An apparatus for displaying a charging state of a battery of an
electric vehicle, comprising:
a charging connector mounted in a cavity in an outer panel of a
vehicle body of said electric vehicle;
a lid openably mounted on said outer panel of said electric vehicle
in covering relation to said charging connector and said cavity
defmed in said outer panel; and
display means, disposed in said cavity, for displaying any one of
said charging states of a period of time required until said
battery is fully charged and a charged capacity of said battery,
wherein said display means comprises:
means for displaying any one of said period of time required until
said battery is fully charged and said charged capacity of said
battery in a digital percentage representation; and
conditioning mode state display means for displaying a conditioning
mode to any one of heat and cool said battery, wherein said
conditioning mode state display means includes a conditioning mode
state selector switch for cancelling anyone of a heating mode while
said battery is being charged, a cooling mode after said battery is
charged, and a temporary charging stop mode.
6. An apparatus for displaying a charging state of a battery of an
electric vehicle, comprising:
a charging connector mounted in a cavity in an outer panel of a
vehicle body of said electric vehicle; and
display means, mounted in said cavity in said outer panel near said
charging connector, for displaying any one of said charging state
of a period of time required until said battery is fully charged
and a charged capacity of said battery, wherein said display means
comprises:
means for displaying any one of said period of time required until
said battery is fully charged and said charged capacity of said
battery in a digital percentage representation; and
conditioning mode state display means for displaying a conditioning
mode to any one of heat and cool said battery, wherein said
conditioning mode state display means includes a conditioning mode
state selector switch for cancelling anyone of a heating mode while
said battery is being charged, a cooling mode after said battery is
charged, and a temporary charging stop mode.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for displaying the
charging of the battery of an electric vehicle, and more
particularly to an apparatus for selectively displaying the state
of charge of the battery of an electric vehicle, a period of time
that is required until the battery is fully charged, etc., while
the battery is being charged by a battery charger.
Description of the Related Art
Recent years have seen much attention attracted to electric
vehicles as pollution-free mobile units. Generally, electric
vehicles have an electric motor as a propulsion source and a
storage battery which energizes the electric motor. Since the
electric motor consumes a large amount of electric energy and
various other devices such as electric accessories mounted on the
electric vehicle also consume a large amount of electric energy,
the battery, even if it is of a large storage capacity, needs to be
charged by a battery charger in a charging station especially when
the electric vehicle is run over a long distance. For charging the
battery, the electric vehicle has a charging connector mounted on
an outer side panel of the body thereof as an electric energy
feeding port for supplying electric energy to the battery, just
like a fuel inlet on an automobile propelled by an internal
combustion engine.
The battery on the electric vehicle is charged through the charging
connector while the electric vehicle is at rest. Whether the
battery is being charged or not or whether the charging process is
finished or not is generally confirmed on the side of the battery
charger or by an indication on an indicator mounted on an
instrumental panel in the passenger's compartment of the electric
vehicle (see, for example, Japanese laid-open patent publication
No. 4-334907). Checking an indication on the indicator on the
instrumental panel has been awkward for the following reasons:
While the battery is being charged, the electric system on the
electric vehicle is shut off. Therefore, after the battery is
charged for a certain period of time, the electric system on the
electric vehicle is turned on to enable the indicator on the
instrumental panel to indicate the state of charge of the battery.
If the battery has not been sufficiently charged as indicated by
the indicator, then the electric system has to be turned off and
the battery needs to be recharged.
Consequently, it has been customary to use an indicator on the
battery charger outside of the electric vehicle for the driver to
confirm whether the battery is being charged or not or whether the
battery has been fully charged or not. If the battery charger or
the indicator on the battery charger is positioned a substantial
distance away from the electric vehicle that is being charged, then
the driver is required to move from the electric vehicle to the
indicator for confirming the state of charge of the battery. The
driver cannot easily confirm whether the battery is being charged
or not or whether the battery has been fully charged or not.
To eliminate the above drawbacks, the applicant has proposed the
use of an indication device such as an indicator, a lamp, or the
like located near the lid of a charging connector of an electric
vehicle for indicating the state of charge of the battery on the
electric vehicle thereby to enable the driver to confirm whether
the battery is being charged or not or whether the battery has been
fully charged or not, as disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent
publication No. 7-87607.
The present invention has been made in connection with the
technical concept disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent
publication No. 7-87607.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an
apparatus for displaying the state of charge of the battery of an
electric vehicle to enable the driver of the electric vehicle to
easily recognize the state of charge of the battery from outside of
the electric vehicle.
A major object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus
for displaying the state of charge of the battery of an electric
vehicle to enable the driver of the electric vehicle to easily
confirm, from outside of the electric vehicle, whether the battery
has been charged to the extent which allows the electric vehicle to
run sufficiently or how much time is needed until the battery is
fully charged, when the driver finds it necessary to drive the
electric vehicle in the process of charging the battery.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus
for displaying the state of charge of the battery of an electric
vehicle to enable the driver of the electric vehicle to easily
confirm a period of time required until the battery is fully
charged or a charged capacity of the battery, in the process of
charging the battery.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an
apparatus for displaying the state of charge of the battery of an
electric vehicle to enable the driver of the electric vehicle to
recognize the state of charge of the battery from outside of the
electric vehicle when the driver finds it necessary to drive the
electric vehicle in the process of charging the battery, by
operating a selector switch to display a remaining period of time
required until the battery is fully charged or a percentage of the
fully charged capacity of the battery to which the battery is
presently charged.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an
apparatus for displaying the state of charge of the battery of an
electric vehicle to enable the driver of the electric vehicle to
easily determine whether the battery is being conditioned, e.g.,
heated or cooled, in the process of charging the battery, so that
the driver can stop the charging process without error when the
driver finds it necessary to drive the electric vehicle in the
process of charging the battery.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent from the following description
when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a
preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of
illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electric vehicle which
incorporates a battery charging display apparatus according to the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an electric energy
feeding unit on the electric vehicle shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a display panel of the electric energy
feeding unit shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an electric system on the electric
vehicle shown in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an operation sequence of the battery
charging display apparatus according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in FIG. 1, an electric vehicle 10 which incorporates a
battery charging display apparatus according to the present
invention includes a vehicle body 12 having an electric energy
feeding unit 16 on a rear outer side panel thereof near a rear
wheel 14.
FIG. 2 shows the electric energy feeding unit 16 at an enlarged
scale. The rear outer side panel of the vehicle body 12 has a
cavity 18 defined therein. The electric energy feeding unit 16
comprises a charging connector 20 disposed in the cavity 18. The
cavity 18 is openably closed by a lid 22 which is hinged to the
rear outer side panel of the vehicle body 12 for closing movement
as indicated by the arrow A. The electric energy feeding unit 16
also includes a display panel 24 disposed in the cavity 18 near the
charging connector 20 for displaying the state of charge of the
battery on the electric vehicle 10. The display panel 24 may be
disposed on an outer surface of the rear outer side panel of the
vehicle body 12 near the lid 22 as indicated by the imaginary line
in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 shows in front elevation the display panel 24 as a display
means. The display panel 24 comprises a feed lamp 26 which is
energized when electric energy of AC 200/100 volts is supplied to
the charging connector 20, a conditioning mode state lamp 28 which
is energized in either one of three conditioning modes including a
heating mode for heating the battery, a cooling mode for cooling
the battery after it has been charged, and a temporary charging
stop mode for temporarily stopping charging of the battery, a
conditioning mode state selector switch 30 for selecting a state
(canceled or not canceled) of each of the conditioning modes, a
charging lamp 32 which is energized in a charging mode for charging
the battery and de-energized when the charging of the battery is
completed, a charging indicator 34 for displaying the state of
charge of the battery, and a display mode selector switch 36 for
selecting a display mode of the charging indicator 34. The charging
indicator 34 includes a digital display unit 38, a remaining
capacity display unit 40, and a remaining charging time display
unit 42.
The conditioning mode state selector switch 30 comprises a
pushbutton switch for canceling the heating mode while the battery
is being charged, the cooling mode after the battery is charged, or
the temporary charging stop mode. For example, when the
conditioning mode state selector switch 30 is pushed or turned on,
the heating mode is canceled. When the conditioning mode state
selector switch 30 is pushed again or turned off while the battery
is being charged with the heating mode canceled, the heating mode
is resumed.
Each time the display mode selector switch 36 is pushed, three
display modes including a display mode for displaying a remaining
capacity of the battery, a display mode for displaying a remaining
time needed until the battery is fully charged, and a display mode
for de-energizing display units are cycled. When the display mode
for displaying a remaining capacity of the battery is selected by
the display mode selector switch 36, the digital display unit 38
displays a remaining capacity of the battery as a percentage in a
digital representation, and the remaining capacity display unit 40
is energized. When the display mode for displaying a remaining time
needed until the battery is fully charged is selected by the
display mode selector switch 36, the digital display unit 38
displays a remaining time needed until the battery is fully charged
as hours or minutes in a digital representation, and the remaining
charging time display unit 42 is energized.
FIG. 4 shows in block form an electric system on the electric
vehicle shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, an electric motor 50
as a propulsion unit of the electric vehicle is connected to a
power drive unit 52. The power drive unit 52 and a high-voltage
load 54 on the electric vehicle are connected through a junction
device 56 to a battery 58. The junction device 56 is connected
through a battery charger 60 which is connected through the
charging connector 20 to an AC power supply 57. The battery charger
60 is selectively connected to the battery 58 through the junction
device 56.
The junction device 56 is controlled by a management ECU 62 which
comprises a microprocessor. The management ECU 62 is connected to a
voltmeter 64, an ammeter 66, and a temperature sensor 68 which
jointly serve to detect a load on the battery 58, and controls the
junction device 56 depending on the detected load on the battery
58.
The management ECU 62 is connected to a lid switch 70 for detecting
whether the lid 22 is opened or closed, and the display panel 24.
Depending on the states of operation of the lid switch 70, the
conditioning mode state selector switch 30, and the display mode
selector switch 36, the management ECU 62 controls energization of
the feed lamp 26, the conditioning mode state lamp 28, and the
charging lamp 32. The management ECU 62 calculates the state of
charge of the battery 58 from measured values from the voltmeter 64
and the ammeter 6, and controls the charging indicator 34 to
selectively display on the digital display unit 38 a remaining
capacity of the battery and a remaining time needed until the
battery is fully charged depending on the state of operation of the
display mode selector switch 36.
Operation of the battery charging display apparatus according to
the present invention will be described below with reference to
FIGS. 4 and 5.
When the charging connector 20 is connected to the AC power supply
57, the battery charger 60 is connected to the AC power supply 57.
The management ECU 62 detects the connection between the battery
charger 60 and the AC power supply 57, and controls the junction
device 56 to connect the battery charger 60 to the battery 58,
starting to charge the battery 58. The management ECU 62 detects an
interrupt for the connection of the battery charger 60 in a step
ST1, and then energizes the feed lamp 26 in a step ST2.
Then, the management ECU 62 reads measured values from the
voltmeter 64 and the ammeter 66 which are connected to the battery
58, and calculates the remaining capacity of the battery 58 as the
state of charge thereof from the measured values in a step ST3. The
management ECU 62 determines whether the battery 58 is fully
charged or not based on the calculated remaining capacity of the
battery 58 in a step ST4. If the battery 58 is fully charged, then
control goes to a step ST14. If the battery 58 is not fully
charged, then control proceeds to a step ST5. The calculated
remaining capacity of the battery 58 may be stored in a backup
memory of the management ECU 62 as an accumulated value which has
been calculated by subtracting a value depending on a discharging
current from and adding a value depending on a recharging current
to the fully charged capacity of the battery 58 which is 100%, and
the stored calculated remaining capacity may be read from the
backup memory by the management ECU 62 before the battery 58 starts
to be charged.
In the step ST14, the management ECU 62 de-energizes the charging
lamp 32. Then, control comes to an end in a step ST17.
In the step 5, the management ECU 62 calculates the period of time
required until the battery 58 is fully charged. Then, the
management ECU 62 checks the conditioning mode state selector
switch 30 for its state, i.e., whether it is turned on or off, in a
step ST6. Generally, the time required to charge the battery 58,
i.e., the charging efficiency thereof, varies depending on the
temperature of the battery 58 or the ambient temperature around the
battery 58. If the temperature of the battery 58 or the ambient
temperature around the battery 58 is too low, then the time
required to charge the battery 58 can be shortened when the battery
58 is charged while it is being heated. After the battery 58 is
charged, it is cooled. Such a process is referred to as a
conditioning control process. As described above, the conditioning
mode state selector switch 30 serves to cancel the heating mode
while the battery is being charged, the cooling mode after the
battery is charged, or the temporary charging stop mode. For
example, when the conditioning mode state selector switch 30 is
pushed or turned on, the heating mode is canceled. When the
conditioning mode state selector switch 30 is pushed again or
turned off while the battery is being charged with the heating mode
canceled, the heating mode is resumed.
If the conditioning mode state selector switch 30 is turned on,
i.e., if the heating mode is canceled, in the step ST6, then the
management ECU 62 de-energizes the conditioning mode state lamp 28
in a step ST13, which is followed by a step ST9. If the
conditioning mode state selector switch 30 is turned off, i.e., if
the heating mode is not canceled, in the step ST6, then control
proceeds to a step ST7.
In the step ST7, the management ECU 62 reads battery parameters
required for charging of the battery 58, e.g., the remaining
capacity, and the temperature and voltage of the battery 58, from a
memory or the like (not shown). Then, the management ECU 62 detects
the temperature of the battery 58 based on the measured value from
the temperature sensor 58, and checks conditioning conditions to
determine whether the battery 58 is to be conditioned or not in a
step ST8. If the battery 58 is not to be conditioned ("NO" in the
step ST8), then the management ECU 62 charges the battery 58
depending on the battery parameters in a step ST9, and energizes
the charging lamp 32 in a step ST10. Thereafter, control goes to a
step ST11.
If the battery 58 is to be conditioned ("YES" in the step ST8),
then the management ECU 62 carries out the heating mode to heat the
battery 58 depending on the battery parameters in a step ST15, and
energizes the conditioning mode state lamp 28 in a step ST16.
Thereafter, control goes to the step ST11.
In the step ST11, the management ECU 62 detects the display mode
selected by the display mode selector switch 36. As described
above, each time the display mode selector switch 36 is pushed, the
three display modes including the display mode for displaying a
remaining capacity of the battery, the display mode for displaying
a remaining time needed until the battery is fully charged, and the
display mode for de-energizing display units are cycled. The
management ECU 62 displays the state of charge of the battery 58 on
the charging indicator 34 in the detected display mode selected by
the display mode selector switch 36 in a step ST12.
As described above, when the display mode for displaying a
remaining capacity of the battery is selected by the display mode
selector switch 36, the management ECU 62 controls the digital
display unit 38 to display the remaining capacity of the battery as
a percentage in a digital representation, and also energizes the
remaining capacity display unit 40. When the display mode for
displaying a remaining time needed until the battery is fully
charged is selected by the display mode selector switch 36, the
management ECU 62 controls the digital display unit 38 displays the
remaining time needed until the battery is fully charged as hours
or minutes in a digital representation, and also energizes the
remaining charging time display unit 42.
After the step ST12, control returns to the step ST3, and the
management ECU 62 repeats the steps ST3--ST12 until the full
charging of the battery 58 is detected in the step ST4. When the
full charging of the battery 58 is detected in the step ST4, the
management ECU 62 de-energizes the charging lamp 32. Then, control
is ended in the step ST17.
If a charge stop switch (not shown) is pressed when the driver
finds it necessary to drive the electric vehicle in the process of
charging the battery 58, or the process of charging the battery 58
is to be interrupted because of a failure of the AC power supply 57
to supply electric energy to the charging connector 20, then the
management ECU 62 detects the cessation of the charging process,
and controls the junction device 56 to disconnect the battery 58
from the battery charger 60 thereby stopping the charging
process.
In the illustrated embodiment, the display panel 24 is shown as
being disposed in the cavity 18 which houses the charging connector
20 and is openably closed by the lid 22. However, the display panel
24 may be disposed in a suitable position near the electric energy
feeding unit 16 in the side panel of the vehicle body 12. The
display panel 24 may simultaneously display both the time required
to fully charge the battery 58 and the remaining capacity of the
battery 58, which are selectively displayed in the illustrated
embodiment.
According to the present invention, as described above, the driver
of the electric vehicle can easily confirm a period of time needed
until the battery is fully charged or a remaining capacity or
charged capacity of the battery while the battery is being charged,
from the display panel 24 that can be visually checked from outside
of the electric vehicle. The driver is therefore not required
either to sit on the driver's seat, turn the ignition key to turn
on the electric system of the electric vehicle, and confirm the
state of charge of the battery with an indicator on the
instrumental panel, or to confirm the state of charge of the
battery with an indicator on the battery charger outside of the
electric vehicle. Instead, the driver can recognize the remaining
time required until the battery is fully charged and a percentage
of the fully charged capacity of the battery to which the battery
is presently charged, from outside of the electric vehicle. As a
result, the driver can easily confirm the state of charge of the
battery on the electric vehicle from outside of the electric
vehicle.
Even when the driver finds it necessary to drive the. electric
vehicle while the battery is being charged, the driver can operate
the selector switch to display the remaining time required until
the battery is fully charged or a percentage of the fully charged
capacity of the battery to which the battery is presently charged,
from outside of the electric vehicle. Therefore, the driver can
easily confirm the state of charge of the battery. Furthermore, the
driver can also easily recognize whether the battery is
conditioned, i.e., heated or cooled, while the battery is being
charged. As a consequence, the driver can stop the charging process
without error when the driver finds it necessary to drive the
electric vehicle in the process of charging the battery.
Although a certain preferred embodiment of the present invention
has been shown and described in detail, it should be understood
that various changes and modifications may be made therein without
departing from the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *